Artistic secrets are there to be disclosed as soon as possible. So to start off with, here are the most important data on a spectacular release: Steamhammer/SPV have announced the arrival of Giant X, the debut album by the same-named new band surrounding Rock´n`Rolf Kasparek and Peter J. Jordan, for 18 January 2013.
Kasparek is guitarist and vocalist of the German metal flagship Running Wild, his friend and musical partner Peter J. Jordan joined the Running Wild fold in 2005 as a guitarist and has worked as a musician, composer, arranger and producer with artists such as Tim Bendzko, Francis Buchholz (ex-Scorpions), Thorsten Wingenfelder (Fury In The Slaughterhouse), Christina Stürmer, Peek A Boo and Fair Warning.
Rumours about this new act have been circulating for several months in all the relevant Internet forums, and these are the hard facts at last. For example that the album includes twelve versatile songs plus a short intro and that all tracks feature strong hooklines and gritty chorus parts. “Our material consists of consciously multi-layered numbers, more in the tradition of Kiss, Queen, Billy Talent, Thin Lizzy and Van Halen, in other words: rock music in the tradition of the seventies, eighties and nineties – our shared musical roots. The main thing for us was that people would be able hear the lightness and spontaneity of our collaboration,” Jordan explains. This sensational collaboration was sparked by the unexpectedly euphoric reactions from all over the world to the Kasparek/Jordan composition ‘Burning Wheels’ (off EMI Production Music’s Rock/Metal album), which features Kasparek on vocals. Encouraged by those positive responses, Jordan and Kasparek decided to cocompose more tracks and offer them to interested record companies under the band name of Giant X. They decided on the Hanover label, Steamhammer/SPV, who already released the current Running Wild opus Shadowmaker. Running Wild have a clearly defined sound which their fans worldwide have come to expect of them. Says Jordan: “Giant X have a broader musical range which allows Rolf and myself to present ourselves from a totally different side.” The guitarist from Hanover is referring to numbers such as the driving ‘Badland Blues’ with its whisky-soaked feeling reminiscent of the American South and the wonderfully doleful slide guitars which bring to mind the legendary Cinderella, as well as the programmatic ‘Rough Ride’ with its thoroughly dynamic pace. In contrast, there’s the by no means less powerful ‘Don’t Quit Till Tomorrow’, which blatantly features Giant X’s British influences. “I find it interesting that it was mainly Rolf who came up with those bluesy, rocking riffs while I contributed the metal hooks – contrary to what you’d expect,” Jordan voices his surprise at a number of unforeseeable developments during the creative process. That the double bass, which is so typical of Running Wild, occasionally rules, becomes apparent in the middle section of ‘Go 4 It’, a successful crossover between rock and metal influences. At the same time, it’s a definite first to hear Kasparek sing a ballad like ‘Nameless Heroes’. Jordan: “I can’t remember that kind to thing happening in Running Wild to date. ”On A Blind Flight’ has Giant X get out their twin guitars, which bring to mind Thin Lizzy, and they don’t shy away from including mainstream elements in their sound on ‘Soul Survivors’ and the straightforward ‘The Count’. ‘Friendly Fire’ presents the band stylistically up to the minute and extremely trendy. Jordan: “Despite the songs’ multilayered qualities it was our declared goal to keep those numbers raw and authentic without excessively polishing the sound. We wanted our debut album to radiate this uncompromising genuineness which simply is an integral part of rock music.” The recording was produced and mixed by Peter J. Jordan, with lots of support from Kasparek and Running Wild’s live mixer Niki Nowy. “The close collaboration between Rolf and myself was a prime example of perfect teamwork, which is also reflected by Giant X’s sound,” comments Jordan. “The album unmistakably focuses on Rolf‘s voice and our typical guitars, both in a way which people have rarely heard from us. I expect and of course sincerely hope that many of our fans will be surprised by this album and positively impressed in a number of ways.”